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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"\"He found a tree branch. He thinks it belongs in the living room...\""}]

Smile 26 5 26

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, May 26, 2026</title>

"He found a tree branch. He thinks it belongs in the living room..."

Daily Smile: Tuesday, May 26, 2026

 &quot;He found a tree branch. He thinks it belongs in the living room...&quot;

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Business & Tourism

Food & Dining

Around 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, Jordan Seguin — farmer and creator of 

, which specializes in growing bananas and ti leaves — remembers that the sky was overcast, but it was no longer raining. His mom was tending to her garden; his dad went to feed the dog.

“As I was putting on my boots — I wanted to go look at the farm — I just heard a sound that was so unfamiliar,” Seguin says. “It sounded like things were getting pushed. I just saw three feet of fast-moving water coming toward the house. Luckily, it did not reach far toward the house, but it was nothing I’d ever seen before in my entire life while living and farming in Waiāhole.”

The flooding from Waikane Stream into Seguin Family Farms happened quickly, according to Seguin, who says this was the third time this year that the 

-based farm was flooded. He says that the farm is about two and a half acres.

“Everything just happened really fast and went away in less than an hour,” he says.

After the flooding, Seguin discovered the farm’s main water line was broken, and the farm currently has no running water.

“When I realized that (the farm has no water), it was devastating,” Seguin says. “There’s so much stream sediment, soft mud, rocks, small boulders that got pushed around and are scattered all over the farm. Newly planted banana trees are uprooted; vegetable crops — like eggplant and okra — are toppled over.

“If you look at the crops now, you’ll see some are still standing,” he adds. “I want to be optimistic and hope these are going to survive. If the ground continues to be this saturated — if we continue to experience rain as the days go by, for the remainder of this week — you’ll start to see everything start to die and turn yellow. At that point, nothing is savable; you just have to restart again.”

Prior to the flood, the farm had just replanted about 50 banana trees, along with other crops. Seguin says that the farm was harvesting bananas weekly and had a good rotation going.

“A week or two ago, we started planting our okra, eggplant, string beans and tomatoes,” he says. “Just before Lowell, we had pockets of really good weather; I’d say the farm really started to dry up. About two weeks ago, we started to replant the fields of empty bananas; after a banana tree produces fruit, you cut down the tree, harvest the bananas and that single tree’s cycle is over. With the nice weather we had, things were looking really good.”

While the family did see Lowell coming and made preparations — “After studying how the water and floodwaters flowed from the Kona Lows and Lala, we tried to dredge out and clear out natural waterways so we could prevent flooding,” Seguin explains — he says the rain “came out of nowhere” on Sunday, when Hurricane Lowell started its northward track.

“Lowell wasn’t even close to us on Sunday, but the rain and flooding of that size came out of nowhere,” he says.

“A lot of people say, ‘It’s not safe,’” he adds, referring to the 

 he took of the farm during the flooding. “At that point, it was waist high in certain spots, and it was hard to move. When it’s flooding like that, it was important for me to document it. I want to be able to study the natural flow of water; at that point, you’re fighting against nature.”

 area is known for flooding, Seguin says flooding doesn’t usually happen every year. However, he says that things are different since it’s an El Nino year. (During El Nino, ocean temperatures are warmer, and there is a higher risk of tropical storms, according to 

“I have experienced flooding when I was much younger; I’ve watched how my uncle handed it and what happens to the farm during that time,” Seguin says. “I know a lot of people are concerned when flash flooding happens; it will stop a lot of traffic if Kamehameha Highway overflows.

“I understand the stream runs through different entities, so responsibility for it is complicated,” he adds. “But if we can get attention on this, there can be a way to mitigate this. Looking back on this, hopefully we can start to put more attention on taking care of our streams and our waterways.”

Currently, Seguin is looking around the farm, assessing damage and seeing what needs to be done next. A 

 has been set up to help support the farm; Seguin posted a video about fundraising efforts on the farm’s Instagram account.

“It was such a beautiful day on Friday; it was nice and sunny,” he says. “It hurts (to see what the farm looks like now), but I can’t stop what I’m doing. I want to be able to feed people, I want to grow food, I want to be able to support locally. That’s my main goal.”

Seguin says he will be posting announcements on social media, regarding volunteer efforts for those who want to physically help clean the farm.

“Originally, I was just thinking of fundraising $2,000 to help us; I didn’t expect to see how much it’s grown,” he says. “It’s so overwhelming, and we’re so thankful. This will help restore the farm to where it was before the Kona Lows, and make it even better so we can fully open our doors and have people come and buy locally. I know people want to do farm tours, but I can’t do that if the farm looks like how it is, and we’re not harvesting anything.”

Seguin explains that his family has been farming in 

 since the 1970s, and he took the reigns on the farm about three years ago.

 Agricultural Park, which is a project owned by the state,” he says. “My family has been here since the 

90s, we’ve been leasing through them. It’s a lease that started with my grandmother, who passed away three years ago, and my uncle, who is still alive but had to officially retire from the farm. It’s my job to continue and preserve what my uncle and grandma started.”

Seguin says the family farm — run by his parents, his two younger siblings and himself — grows Saba bananas, which is often used to make Filipino desserts like turon, a popular snack featuring thinly sliced bananas in a spring roll wrapper that’s fried and finished with caramelized brown sugar.

“Saba is a cooking banana variety found in Filipino cuisine,” Seguin says. “These are the bananas you want to use for banana lumpia. If you boil it when it’s green, or just before it turns ripe, it’s very similar to a potato. Just as we would use ‘ulu, or breadfruit, you can use the banana as a substitute for rice.”

Seguin explains the farm’s ti leaves are often used for lei-making. He says a lot of the farm’s crops, like okra and eggplant, are staples in Filipino cuisine.

“Our crops are things our grandparents in the Philippines would typically grow, but bananas are our main crop,” he says. “Being Gen Z, I wanted to share the farm experience online through social media.”

Seguin’s mission for the farm is not only to plant food to feed families, but also to celebrate Filipino heritage and culture in Hawaiʻi.

“It’s been a journey for me, too — to understand where you came from, and to understand the ‘aina that you stand on,” he says. "That’s our whole vision — to understand and perpetuate Hawaiian values, and to celebrate and honor Filipino heritage.”

Seguin says it took about three years to reach the goal of harvesting bananas weekly, which made the Kona Low storms in March especially devastating. He explains that, after planting banana trees, it takes six to eight months for the trees to mature. Once the trees start flowering, fruits will start to form.

“Because we had a lot, we were on a rotation where we could harvest the bananas weekly,” he says. “During the Kona Lows, the farm flooded — at that time, what I thought was tremendously — and the storm left behind so much saturated areas in the farm.

“Bananas love water, but if there’s too much water, it’ll lead to the spread of diseases, fungus and viruses within the root system, and it’ll start to create root rot,” Seguin adds. “It was devastating — 50% to 60% of the bananas that we had planted experienced that after the Kona Lows in March.”

After the Kona Low storms, Seguin applied for an agricultural grant to receive financial help from the state. In August, he was able to use the money to rent an excavator to dig out the rotten banana trees and clear out the fields to replant.

“We don’t have machine equipment here on the farm,” he says. “After the Kona Lows, small patches of the farm all needed attention. Here we were, a fully family-owned farm, trying to play catch up. And then Lala came.

“I’d say that, at the time of Hurricane Lala, though the flooding was devastating, we didn’t lose much because we’d already lost a lot from the Kona Low storms,” Seguin adds.

While Seguin states the “road to recovery” may take a while — “I’d say, give us a year and a half,” he says — he wants the community to know how grateful his family is for the support and encouragement they’ve received. 

“We were overwhelmed by how much people wanted to donate; we really appreciate that,” Seguin says. “My vision is to open our doors more to the public — for people to come, buy locally, and enjoy the scenery here. After the Kona Lows, and now Hurricanes Lala and Lowell, it’s been so traumatic and mentally draining. But I want to continue the legacies left behind for us. For me, this is not to be rich. Just the fruits of our labor — feeding people — is very rewarding to me.” 

Seguin Family Farms flooding 090826

<title>Seguin Family Farms is recovering after flash flooding</title>

The farm experienced flooding for the third time this year, according to farmer Jordan Seguin. The family-owned farm — located in Waiāhole — is known for its banana and ti-leaf crops. The farm experienced flooding and devastation following the Kona Lows, Hurricane Lala and, now, Hurricane Lowell. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Seguin Family Farms recover; Seguin says updates will be posted on social media.

Seguin Family Farms is recovering after flash flooding

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Crime & Courts

A Maui man who allegedly robbed a bank in Kīhei last year pled guilty to bank robbery in U.S. court Thursday.

Justin Nelson, 43, reportedly robbed a Kīhei branch of the First Hawaiian Bank on Aug. 27, 2025. According to an FBI affidavit, Nelson — dressed in a baseball cap, dust mask, balaclava and sunglasses — entered the bank one morning, approached the bank tellers and brandished what appeared to be a firearm.

The robber commanded the two tellers present to each put cash in a shopping bag. Within a minute, he had collected $4,885 in marked and unmarked bills, and departed the bank.

Investigators were able to track the robber’s movements throughout Kīhei using CCTV cameras and, within 15 minutes, Maui police officers confronted and arrested him on the sidewalk of Kauha‘a Street. According to the FBI report, Nelson was approaching a parked car, registered in his name, when he was arrested.

Upon his arrest, the robber — positively identified at this time as Nelson — was found to have only an airsoft pistol on his person, as well as $3,681 in cash. It was not clear in the FBI report what happened to the remaining $804.

However, the FBI report did note that a Maui Police Department officer reportedly overheard Nelson tell his father — during a phone call at the police station — “I robbed two banks.” Court records make no mention of a second robbery connected with Nelson.

In any case, Nelson was charged with bank robbery, a felony charge. Because Nelson reportedly used the threat of violence to carry out the robbery — regardless of whether the gun was genuine — he faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release of up to three years.

[{"type":"text","text":"Nelson’s sentencing is set to take place Dec. 18."}]

06114414391

<title>Maui man pleads guilty to 2025 bank robbery</title>

Justin Nelson reportedly robbed a Kīhei bank for $4,885 last August.

Maui man pleads guilty to 2025 bank robbery

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Real Estate

A new 27-unit rental workforce housing development is underway near The Queen's Medical Center's Punchbowl campus.

Located at 1518 Miller St., the project, which will be designated for households earning up to 80% of the area median income, broke ground last month. It's the first ground-up project from Fergus Brothers LLC.

"We're really excited," Jake Fergus, an owner of Fergus Brothers, told Aloha State Daily. "This is our family's real estate company and, for a long time, we've been focused on commercial real estate investments. Right now, we have properties on O‘ahu and Maui, a lot of industrial assets, but just in the last few years, we've wanted to become involved with helping with our affordable housing problem and crisis we have in Hawai‘i. This is our first big project, ground-up, that we're building. ... We're just excited to get involved and we hope to do a lot more of these before it's all said and done."

The for-rent apartments are being developed under the City and County of Honolulu's 

Bill 7 was adopted by the Honolulu City Council in 2019; these projects are also referred to as ROH Chapter 32 projects. According to the city's 

, ROH Chapter 32 relaxes development standards and offers financial incentives for affordable rental projects in certain zoning districts and on lots no larger than 20,000 square feet as long as 80% or more of the units are rented to those earning no more than 100% of Honolulu's AMI for at least 15 years.

Affordable housing income limits are based on household sizes — you can find the city's current income limits 

"If you look at the the current 80% AMI schedule for what people earn, those are solidly workforce tenants — hardworking people working in the community. A lot of them have multiple jobs," Fergus says. While there's no formal agreement with Queen's or any other employers in the area, he says, too, that with the location of the property and proximity to the health care center, "we would love it if hospital workers could rent at our building and be able to just walk across the street to work."

The project was designed by architect Ed Sheehan of Interlock LLC and is being constructed by Honolulu Builders. It'll feature 25 one-bedroom and two studio units. Fergus says construction is expected to be finished next year.

Fergus said, too, that the project will be constructed on an elevated podium, allowing the ground floor to be used for parking, minimizing impacts to street parking in the surrounding neighborhood.

When the property was acquired in 2024, Fergus says there was a long-empty old house in an unlivable condition on the site. It didn't make sense to keep the house, he noted, so the company hired Reuse Hawai‘i for deconstruction and donated any salvageable items before Honolulu Builder came in.

, the Miller Street property was acquired for a little more than $1.4 million in 2024.

The Miller Street project follows a recently completed restoration of an 11-unit workforce apartment building at 1650 Stillman Lane in Liliha, which offers six two-bedroom units and five one-bedroom units near Kuakini Medical Center, a recent announcement from the developer noted.

Miller

<title>New workforce housing under construction near Queen's Medical Center</title>

Located at 1518 Miller St., the project, which broke ground last month, is the first ground-up development from Fergus Brothers LLC.

New workforce housing under construction near Queen's Medical Center

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

MĀNOA — Spencer McLachlin estimates he's been inside the Stan Sheriff Center over 500 times since the facility opened in the fall of 1994. 

, both University of Hawai‘i Circle of Honor inductees, Spencer McLachlin would sit in the stands during UH volleyball matches as his father served as TV color commentator alongside Jim Leahey on K5 broadcasts. Wahine volleyball matches were extra special for the McLachlin family, as Beth is still remembered as one of the program's pioneers. A star setter on the 1974 and 1975 teams, Beth McLachlin added the 

With his parents guiding him, Spencer McLachlin went on to become a star athlete himself. While he was a two-time all-state basketball player at Punahou, volleyball was where he truly shined. A 6-foot-7 outside hitter, Spencer McLachlin was a starter in multiple tournaments for the U.S. junior national team. He was one of the sport's top recruits by the time he was set to graduate high school in 2007, and he chose Stanford among his many offers. 

McLachlin started all 105 matches he appeared in for the Cardinal from 2008 to 2011, which included a national championship in 2010. With aspirations of becoming a coach one day, McLachlin helped out with Bay-to-Bay Volleyball Club as he finished up a master's degree with Stanford. 

After a brief professional playing career in Greece, McLachlin returned to Hawai‘i and joined Charlie Wade's UH men's staff as a volunteer assistant in 2014 while he taught at Punahou. He was then elevated to full-time assistant for the Rainbow Warriors in 2015. 

From there, McLachlin was an assistant coach for the Cal women's team from 2016 to 2017, an assistant coach on the UCLA men's staff from 2018 to 2021, the associate head coach for Indiana in 2022, then the associate head coach for USC from 2023 to 2025. His first opportunity to become a head coach was officially announced on Dec. 29, 2025, when UC San Diego named him the new women's head coach. 

On Sunday, the final day of the 2026 OUTRIGGER Invitational, Spencer McLachlin's UC San Diego squad went up against host Hawai‘i to close the tournament. Father Chris was courtside doing color commentary for K5 with Kanoa Leahey, Jim's son, while Beth McLachlin watched intently. As Spencer competed against the University of Hawai‘i for the first time as a head coach, he proved the McLachlin family can still have firsts in its charmed volleyball journey. 

Though the Tritons were just two points away from winning in four sets, the Rainbow Wahine rallied to take Sunday's match 22-25, 25-15, 21-25, 26-24, 15-8. UCSD led as late as 23-22 in the fourth set before UH forced deuce. The 'Bows, who sprinted to a 14-3 lead in the fifth set, went 3-0 over the weekend and improved to 4-2 for the 2026 campaign. The Tritons, meanwhile, fell to 2-4 in McLachlin's debut season and were 0-3 during the weekend. 

"A lot of emotions," Spencer McLachlin told Aloha State Daily following the match, with some of his players seen wiping tears away in the distance. "I feel for my team that fought so hard, but it's life. Learning isn't linear. It's not gonna happen overnight. It's gonna take some really hard lessons, and we had three really hard lessons in the three matches this weekend. I wish it ended up a little bit differently, but that's volleyball. That's why everyone everyone loves it. I'm proud of our girls."

Over a dozen family members were in attendance to support Spencer McLachlin on Sunday. Additionally, a handful of friends from his O‘ahu childhood, including Stanford teammate Kawika Shoji, were there to offer encouragement. 

"I love this place," Spencer McLachlin said of the Stan. "My mom's got her plaque up there in the Circle of Honor. This place means so much to me. It is a top five place to play in the world, and it's because of the fans. It's because of the tradition. ... Just so many great coaches. The volleyball community here is so great. And if I grew up anywhere else, I probably wouldn't have fallen in love with the sport like I did growing up here."

In the heat of the match, Spencer McLachlin admits he gave a quick look to his dad and couldn't help but smile. After the match, Spencer's three young children walked towards the announcer's table. 

"There's Papa," Spencer pointed out to his keiki. 

Chris McLachlin knew that calling Sunday's match came with added responsibility. The school he loves was facing a team coached by his son, and he knew he had to be impartial to both. 

I started out by telling Kanoa if I lapse into nepotism at all, please correct me," Chris McLachlin joked with ASD after the match. "I thought that for the weekend, (Spencer) was really proud of how they performed. They could have won the tournament, you know. They were very close to being 3-0. Instead, they're 0-3. But a lot of good lessons learned, and it's a different kind of proud that he is sharing so much of himself with those girls."

The four years Spencer McLachlin played for Stanford aligned directly with the four seasons current Rainbow Wahine head coach 

 took the floor for the Hawai‘i men's team following a redshirt year. Though McLachlin 

went 8-1 as a player against the 'Bows, Walker never made it easy, leading UH in kills the vast majority of those matchups. 

"Ton of respect for him, just because I know how hard of a worker he is," Walker said following the match. "We knew we were going to get their best shot and they were going to be prepared. That's just who he is and how he operates. I think we both made each other better tonight."

Despite growing up an athletic prodigy of sorts, the coaches in Spencer McLachlin's life are the reason why he set his heart early on becoming one himself one day. 

 was his club coach when he was 10, and Spencer McLachlin remembers how the legendary former Wahine volleyball coach taught him how to pass, one of the underrated skills in the sport. McLachlin joked that with a career record of 2-4 thus far in his debut season, he has 1,200 to go to catch Shoji's career mark of 1202-204-1. 

But if there's one coach who truly made his mark on Spencer, it's his father, who led Punahou to 11 state titles in boys volleyball and three in boys basketball. 

"He's my biggest mentor," Spencer McLachlin says of Chris McLachlin. "Him caring for the athletes and the trust that you build by getting to know them, he has incredible relationships with all of his former athletes and if I could be a 10th of the coach that he is, then I'll have a great career. I think he's a wizard, and I'm so blessed to have him be my mentor." 

Following a brief chat after the match, Chris and Spencer McLachlin went their separate ways, Spencer eager to build on the career he's wanted for as long as he can remember, knowing dad is always a phone call away. 

"He was always asking questions about coaching strategies, so I thought maybe he's gonna be a coach someday," Chris McLachlin says. "He always seemed to glean the most from all the coaches he had when he played in the junior national team. He just always seemed to be gleaning little pearls of wisdom about coaching. And I think when he was very young, he followed me for my basketball and volleyball career, and it always seemed to be not just a kid at the gym, but more like a kid learning at the gym. He was always picking up something and asking questions. He wants to be a good coach in the worst way, and just the art of coaching means a lot to him."

Spencer McLachlin 090626

<title>Punahou alum Spencer McLachlin returns home for emotional weekend as new UCSD coach</title>

Both of McLachlin's parents are in the UH Circle of Honor. He estimates he's been inside the Stan Sheriff Center over 500 times. On Sunday, for the first time as a head coach, he went up against his childhood team.

Punahou alum Spencer McLachlin returns home for emotional weekend as new UCSD coach

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

More than 50 years ago, when the legendary rock band Journey was just starting out, it had its second public concert at the Sunshine Festival at Diamond Head Hill Crater in front of more than 100,000 people.

Neal Schon, the band’s lead guitarist, was on stage. Now, he and the band are back for the “Final Frontier Tour 2026,” with three days of performances, produced by Rick Bartalini Presents, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. The performances are at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, Sunday, Sept. 6, and Tuesday, Sept. 8. 

Gov. Josh Green and Mayor Rick Blangiardi presented the band with proclamations inside the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, where they will perform. The governor also presented a guitar.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this incredible honor,” said Schon at the media event. “Hawaiʻi has always been a part of Journey's heart from the very beginning. We played Diamond Head Crater on New Year's Day in 1974. And even before Journey, I had the incredible experience of playing here in 1972 with Carlos Santana and Santana Band, so the connection with Hawaiʻi and myself goes back way beyond 50 years. To be standing here today and receiving this recognition means more to me than I can say in words. The people of Hawaiʻi have always welcomed us with so much love, and I want you to all know that we love you right back, always.”

Jonathan Cain, who plays keyboard and guitar and is known for his songwriting, also took the mic.

“The aloha spirit in these islands is so rare,” Cain said. “The people that have continued to ask for Journey over the years — the fans, the commitment, the loyalty — is unprecedented. I've never seen anything like it. … I came here [to Hawaiʻi] as a ʻnew guy’ in 1981, and I'll never forget.”

The show will feature popular hits and more, he said.

“Get ready for an evening with three nights of our entire legacy,” he said. “We're playing the hits and we're playing the deep cuts.”

Green took a few moments to thank the band.

“In every way, you've been special to us and when you land here in Hawaiʻi to do a few concerts for thousands and thousands of our residents, we are just overwhelmed,” he said. “To say that we are excited would be the understatement of the decade, frankly. … Thank you for giving us these incredible songs — ʻDon't Stop Believin’” — thank you for inspiring generations of people.”

The governor also teased the band should consider taking up residence in the Islands.

“We encourage you to move and relocate here to Hawaiʻi here after,” the governor said, as members of the press pool laughed.

Journey, which has more than 28.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, formed in 1973, and has earned 19 top 40 singles and 25 Gold and Platinum albums, according to their artist bio on the streaming platform. The band has sold nearly 100 million albums globally. Popular songs include “Don’t Stop Believin,’ ” “Faithfully” and more.

Journey has performed 34 times in Hawaiʻi, including 30 appearances on Oʻahu and 26 shows at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, as well as performances at the University of Hawaiʻi, Maui Arts & Cultural Center and Queen’s Marketplace Amphiteatre in Waikoloa Beach Resort, according to the website for entertainment promoter Rick Bartalini’s website.

Journey

<title>‘Don’t Stop Believin’ ’ band back for stop in Honolulu journey</title>

ʻHold on to that feelin’ ’— the legendary rock band Journey is heading to the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena one more time, Saturday, Sept. 5, Sunday, Sept. 6, and Tuesday, Sept. 8, for its “Final Frontier Tour 2026."

‘Don’t Stop Believin’ ’ band back for stop in Honolulu journey

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

Mike Shiroma’s neighborhood in the Pālolo Valley sounds different than it did when he was a kid, all because of the invasive coqui frog.

The quarter-sized tree frog native to Puerto Rico calls from dusk to dawn. They are one of the loudest frogs in the world, with calls reaching up to 100 decibels, similar to a lawnmower or motorcycle. They hitchhiked to Hawaiʻi Island in 1988 and have since set up colonies on Oʻahu in Pālolo Valley, Waimānalo and the Kuliʻouʻou summit.

Shiroma said he’s witnessed the number of frogs grow from a handful to dozens to thousands, and now estimates that there are 15,000-20,000 coqui frogs in Pālolo Valley.

Shiroma described the coqui frog noise as a “permanent, audio graffiti.”

“They're changing the environment forever,” he said.

Sidney Lynch called the noise deafening. She noticed the occassional frog washing down the Waiʻōmaʻo Stream and would call the Department of Agriculture to catch it. She offered to help after she noticed more and more frogs washing down the stream in 2025.

She co-founded Pālolo Coqui, a group of volunteers that meets multiple times a week to catch and kill coqui in the Pālolo Valley. Volunteers have caught 6,085 since they started in March.

“Even though it’s only concentrated in a five street area, it’s getting much noisier and they can spread,” Lynch said. “At this point, if there’s the chance to eradicate them, we may as well try.”

When volunteers came to Shiroma’s door with a flyer earlier this year, they joined forces to fight the invasion, going from what Shiroma called an “army of one” to a team. Shiroma has been hunting coqui frogs for years, and said he’s getting burned out and discouraged.

Volunteers wear long-sleeve neon shirts, long pants, headlamps and sturdy shoes, and carry plastic tubes, UV flashlights, citric acid solution and radios, and head out into the protected state land bordering the neighborhood to search for frogs.

Here’s how it works: Volunteers listen for the distinct “ko-KEE” call, approach the frog and place a long plastic tube on the frog. The frog jumps up and into the tube, and volunteers put the frog into a small bottle full of a citric acid solution where it is killed.

The male frogs like to hang out on logs and smooth leaves, such as monstera, pothos and heliconia. The “ko” of the coqui’s call asserts their territory and the “kee” calls for females.

Shiroma read scientific papers that said certain amphibians floresce under UV light. He tried it out, and found that certain UV light makes the coqui appear black and their eyes glow, allowing volunteers to look for frogs with UV flashlights when they are not calling.

“To me, this is the game changer. There’s no better discovery than this,” Shiroma said.

The coqui frog is one of 15 high priority pests that the 

 is monitoring. OISC is a project under the University of Hawaiʻi Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit that coordinates between communities, the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the Department of Land and Natural Resources. OISC first got involved with coqui frogs in Pālolo Valley in September 2024.

Robbie Snyder, a community engagement liaison with OISC, detailed the negative impacts coqui frogs can have on Hawaiʻi.

Coqui frogs have no natural predators on Hawaiʻi, so they get more dense than they would in their home country. Snyder said that one acre of land on Oʻahu can be home to 36,000 coqui.

The noise changes the soundscape of Oʻahu’s forests, Snyder said. Lynch said that the noise impacts resident’s quality of life.

Homeowners are required to disclose if there’s a coqui frog infestation on or near their property, which can drive down home prices.

Coqui frogs eat invertebrates, which damages Oʻahu’s native plants and can harm native plants when those plants aren’t being pollinated.

“Those insects also play vital pollinating services to our native plants, so when the frogs eat the native insects, we then lose things that can pollinate our native plants, and that has a cascading affect through the ecosystem,” Snyder said.

If snakes were introduced in Hawaiʻi, coqui frogs would provide a “massive food source” and aid their spread.

According to Snyder, the current goal is to contain coqui frogs until the state has the resources or better tools to eradicate them.

“With the resources we have right now, site level eradication of coqui is not possible,” Snyder said. “There isn’t enough funding, there’s not enough people, there’s not enough resources, and that’s even with the incredible community volunteers that we have, but we need more and we need a years-long commitment to funding.”

Snyder said that hand capture alone isn’t enough at this point to eradicate an infestation.

“There are small enough local populations that they haven’t become widespread. Hope is not lost with coqui frogs,” Snyder said.

OISC and state agencies spray a liquid combination of citric acid and water in an attempt to contain coqui frogs. Citric acid, which is found in citrus, some soft drinks and some candies, poses little risk to people and the environment, but is lethal to amphibians because they respirate through their skin.

OISC has been spraying 400 gallons of citric acid month in the Pālolo Valley for about two years and increased to spray twice monthly starting in August.

When coqui frogs infested Wahiawā in 2003, the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biodiversity, the Oʻahu Army Natural Resources Program, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and OISC teamed up and eradicated the coqui infestation with a mix of citric spray and hand captures by 2007.

The volunteers in Pālolo have mixed opinions about the use of citric acid spray. Lynch believes citric acid spray is an effective tool and Shiroma believes it’s not as effective as hand capturing the frogs.

Shiroma called it an “agency failure” that the Department of Agriculture hasn’t dedicated more resources to preventing the spread of coqui.

“You guys are using the same broken playbook that’s not working and hasn’t worked for decades. This is not a new problem.” Shiroma. He advocated for the Department of Agriculture to make a dedicated team that works at night.

While the coqui frogs keep calling, Pālolo Valley neighbors will continue donning neon shirts and heading into the forest to stop them.

Coqui in Pālolo

<title>Volunteers battle coqui frog infestation in Pālolo Valley</title>

The Pālolo Coqui volunteer group is working alongside the Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee and state agencies to contain a coqui frog infestation in their neighborhood.

Daily Smile: Tuesday, May 26, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Authors

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